Victoria’s Secret Is That We All Want to Look Good

No amount of keyboard warriors can talk me out of thinking the original Victoria’s Secret Angels were gorgeous and iconic. Sue me. Watching them was sexy, aspirational, and made femininity feel like a superpower. Even if we watched with Doritos hanging from our faces. They didn’t apologize for being beautiful, and I loved them for it. But the PC police wouldn’t let us just enjoy the spectacle for what it was: a fantasy. They had to turn it into more ideological warfare, complete with accusations of “harmful patriarchal influence.” Said IG accounts like Diet Prada. As recently as Monday. Since they decided women just couldn’t handle the parade of genetically blessed Angels in wings and lingerie, they declared it Judgment Day on the self-worth of every female watching from her couch. As if appreciating glamorous women automatically means advocating for a nationwide return to eating disorders. Victoria’s Secret ultimately succumbed to the woke brigade and canceled its annual fashion show in 2019 , only to bring it back in 2024. But in the years since its initial cancellation, the culture didn’t get healthier. It got whiplash. We went from rejecting unattainable beauty standards to glorifying obesity as empowerment. We went from rejecting unattainable beauty standards to glorifying obesity as empowerment. The Angels were banished to Cinderella’s attic, and in their place came new fixtures of “real” and righteous beauty, like Cosmo UK’s infamous 2021 “This Is Healthy!” cover . From Top 40 anthems to obese mannequins, it was everywhere. For years, women were preached the gospel of abandoning common sense and gym memberships in favor of celebrating themselves “exactly as they are,” as some grand eff-you to the patriarchy. The only people getting effed were themselves. Why are we still taking cues from a culture that changes its mind about women’s bodies every five minutes? It’s contradictory. It’s not healthy. And, oh yeah, it doesn’t even believe its own advice. Because eventually, the body-positivity crowd, the Lizzos, Rebel Wilsons, and Oprahs, started jumping ship from their own cause as soon as GLP-1s were handed out like Halloween candy . Serena Williams, one of the world’s greatest athletes, is now a spokesperson for the weight-loss drug revolution . Fat Joe isn’t even fat anymore, guys. What does this tell us? Not just that we got played. But that the people selling this hogwash apparently didn’t believe it themselves. The ugly truth: Nobody wants to be overweight Obesity opens a Mary Poppins bag of issues that are hardly romantic: heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. I’m not knocking GLP-1s. If they help you get over the hurdle, I’m here to cheer you on. But let’s not pretend the cultural short-circuiting isn’t insanely revealing. We can rattle off medical statistics all day. But underneath, there’s the very real issue of how we feel, navigate, and show up in the world. Yes, that includes our relationships. We can stop pretending we don’t also want to look good for the people we’re sleeping with. Men aren’t exempt, either. Chris Pratt, Jelly Roll, and plenty of famous men have been open about transforming their bodies. I love my fiancé dearly, but he knows dad bod is on notice. It’s not about demanding perfection. It’s wanting the best for someone you love, and wanting to want them. Preferably naked. Unselfishly, of course. Healthy is the sexiest thing a woman can feel. None of this means every woman should be stick-thin. This opposite extreme is equally troubling. Concerns over Ariana Grande’s increasingly translucent appearance sparked controversy, even with expressions of worry deemed inappropriate . Some of you didn’t live through the heroin-chic era, and it shows. What really put this over the edge was the response to Tyla at the VMAs last month. The 24-year-old bared her midriff in a Y2K-inspired outfit and looked amazing. Healthy, sexy, perfectly normal. Somehow, the internet found a way to call her fat . This discourse has become so disorienting we’ve officially lost the ability to be objectively sane. I’ll go on the record: Healthy is the sexiest thing a woman can feel. I know from experience. A few years ago, I went on a mission to transform my body the old-fashioned way. Two-hour workouts, a high-protein diet, and discipline that didn’t take a day off. Was it some altruistic mission devoid of vanity? Please. Of course I loved becoming the strongest, fittest, sexiest version of myself I didn’t even know was possible. But what surprised me most was how much it changed me from the inside out. Every time I dragged my butt to the gym through snowstorms, holidays, and days when I’d rather have been on a field trip to the sun, I exceeded my own expectations. The grit, energy, and confidence soon came bursting out everywhere from the boardroom to the bedroom. There’s something electrifying about discovering what you’re capable of and knowing you earned it. Not because you need to become a bodybuilder or compete in an Ironman, but because keeping promises to yourself and pushing the limit changes how you show up in every corner of your life. That’s the body positivity I can get behind. Not pretending we’re perfect exactly as we are, but honoring and loving ourselves enough to keep getting better. Giving ourselves grace through every season, celebrating progress, and enjoying the hell out of the ride to reach our potential. Even the Angels aren’t perfect. I had the privilege of working out with Victoria’s Secret’s own Jasmine Tookes. What struck me wasn’t some illusion of physical flawlessness descended from the heavens, but her commitment to bettering herself. Watching the latest VS Fashion Show, I was awestruck by the mothers walking that runway looking absolutely fire. Barbara Palvin gave birth a mere six weeks prior and Elsa Hosk in July. Sixteen of the Angels who walked in this year’s show are moms . What a beautiful reminder that womanhood doesn’t have a sexy expiration date, and being at your peak isn’t reserved for 20-somethings. Far from it. What a beautiful reminder that womanhood doesn’t have a sexy expiration date, and being at your peak isn’t reserved for 20-somethings. The performers also caught my eye. Megan Thee Stallion, Megan Moroney, and Tate McRae looked like some of the healthiest, sexiest women in the room. Not because they shared one body type. Certainly not because they look like they’ve been living off saltines for weeks. But because they embodied something much more than a lingerie size: curves, vitality, strength, and assurance. So no to the Cosmo UKs, the fake outrage mobs, and the faux “body-positive” ambassadors. Your performance isn’t healthy. This is healthy. It’s time we set our own standard. Dare I say, taking care of ourselves. Making conscious choices. Taking pride in our bodies, our femininity, and who we’re capable of becoming. Not to chase some warped funhouse trend or fleeting, impossible ideal, but to build a lifestyle that makes us look and feel like our best selves for the rest of our lives. Because a woman who knows her own power doesn’t yearn for another Angel’s wings. She’s earned a pair of her own.